Top Takeaways From Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 Win Over Minnesota Vikings
Cincinnati is up 8–6 after winning in overtime.
CINCINNATI: At Paycor Stadium on Saturday, the Bengals defeated the Vikings 27–24. They have not only won three straight games, but they have also positioned themselves to play in the postseason for the third consecutive year.
Though there’s still work to be done, the Bengals hold the sixth seed in the AFC right now. Our key insights from the thrilling overtime match are as follows:
On Saturday, Jake Browning seemed to return to Earth. For the majority of the game, the Bengals had trouble moving the ball offensively.
They were down 17-3 going into the fourth quarter, and it seemed like the Minnesota defense, which had not given up a touchdown in almost two months, had just the right combination to slow Browning and the Bengals down.
“Jakey Spin Rate” then started to pulse. In the fourth quarter, Browning guided the Bengals on three straight touchdown drives. They scored on drives of 75, 74, and 75 yards as they moved up and down the field.
“Jake is just very reliable. He is, in fact. An unfavorable play doesn’t bother him. Head coach Zac Taylor said of him, “He doesn’t overreact to it.” “To put it simply, the interception is excellent. When he throws a pick in his fourth career start—I believe it was a cover two, and the cornerback just played games with him to try and bait him into throwing it over the top—he immediately returns the next drive and scores a touchdown. That’s the kind of quarterback you want: someone who stays in the middle of the field. He is capable of moving on, and he did just that.”
ESPN’s Field Yates reports that Browning is the first quarterback in NFL history to complete at least 75% (75.97%) of his passes and toss for 1,000 (1,180) yards in his first four starts.
After the game, Browning made a joke, saying, “I feel like I need a beer, but I’m right off of a cramping incident, so I’m probably going to pass on that.”
In the victory, he completed 29 of 42 passes for 324 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
During their current three-game winning streak, the Bengals are scoring 32 points per game on average. During that time, Browning has 953 passing yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Higgins had trouble for the majority of the contest but took off in the fourth quarter. The 24-year-old made two touchdowns on four receptions for 61 yards, including an impressive catch close to the goal line.
Even though he was tackled, he had the awareness to reach forward and get the ball over the pylon. Higgins made four catches in the fourth quarter. After Ja’Marr Chase left the game due to a shoulder injury, he made the spectacular touchdown catch.
“Receiver coach Troy came up to me and said, ‘it’s time to be the alpha,’ and I was able to do that and makes those plays,” Higgins stated.
Despite suffering rib and hamstring injuries this season, Higgins proved to everyone that he is still a top receiver by scoring his first touchdown since Week 2.
